HOUSTON - (March 21, 2012) - Lillian S. Kao, M.D., associate professor in the Department of Surgery at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) Medical School, has been voted president-elect of the Association for Academic Surgery (AAS). She has previously served as AAS secretary, co-chair of both the education and leadership committees and institutional representative.

Kao’s election to the one-year term was announced at the recent 7th Annual Academic Surgical Congress in Las Vegas. The meeting was hosted by the AAS and the Society of University Surgeons. Kao will start a term as association president in 2013.

Kao’s research focuses on providing evidence-based care to improve surgical outcomes, particularly with regard to surgical infections. Kao has had a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Physician Faculty Scholars Award and a National Institutes of Health award.

The AAS is the leading society of young academic surgeons. Founded in 1967, the AAS is the largest association of academic surgeons with more than 3,000 members worldwide. AAS’ purpose is to provide students, surgical trainees and junior faculty with exposure to the most current basic science, translational, clinical and education research pertaining to academic surgery. For more information about the AAS, visit www.aasurg.org.